


With Extreme Prejudice, Julia.

by LadyElaine



Category: Weak Hero (Webcomic)
Genre: College AU, Conspiracy, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Multi, Mystery, POV Multiple, Rarepair, badass lily, friends to even bester friends, nobody's escaping unscathed, noncon but nothing extreme, not in my good wholesome minecraft server, stephen is alive as he should be, the union strikes again
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28748253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyElaine/pseuds/LadyElaine
Summary: She received three consecutive texts, all from him.Annoyed, she finally gave in and skimmed the latest one he sent. It read: "LISTEN TO ME."The hairs on the back of Lily’s neck stood up.---Gray is in a precarious position and two people have something to say about it, though for entirely different reasons. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Relationships: Jimmy Bae/Lily, Stephen Ahn & Gray Yeon
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	1. Onions

**Author's Note:**

> I'm starved of Lily content, what can I say.

Lily didn’t usually drink. There were only two times she could recall drinking. Once was when she was 15. She, Julia, and Lala had been invited to a bonfire party hosted by Jack Kang on New Year’s Eve. No one was going to say no to one of the most undisputedly popular highschoolers. He had a bottle of jack and it was only the obvious thing to follow his lead--never mind Lily had never tried alcohol before. She chugged a bottle of vodka right when the clock hit twelve. A new year. A new era. A new Lily.

Or maybe not. She couldn’t say she enjoyed the experience. It tasted like liquid fire and not in a good way. Her throat burned and her eyes watered. But her friends were tearing up too and laughing about it, because how lucky were _they_ to be invited to such a cool party? There was smoke, and alcohol, and attractive guys. There was Jack Kang, who apparently knew they existed. What was a little inflammation when they were given a chance to be one of _those_ people?

Well, Lily was over it. It wasn’t like Jack was going to date any of them and the newly-falling snow was biting at her skin. She should’ve just stayed home and buried herself in her sketchbook. A blanket and a cup of tea afterwards sounded heavenly at that moment.

Lily bid her friends goodbye and trudged to the bus stop a ways away from the bonfire site. She entered a nearby 7/11 and bought a cup of cocoa. It wasn’t tea but it would do. As long as she was far away from the party, Lily could indulge in the illusion she was home. 

In truth, Lily didn’t even know if the buses to take her home ran that late. They were probably out of commission, seeing as it was New Years’, but that didn’t stop her from standing in the frigid air and waiting anyway. It was cold but the alcohol, mixed with her cocoa, was spreading warmth through her system. It wasn’t an entirely unpleasant feeling.

A few minutes later, someone else joined her at the bus stop. She hid her face in her scarf and nervously sipped from her cup when she realized it was Jack Kang’s friend: Jimmy Bae. He had apparently ditched the party too. She relaxed, no longer worried she might be abducted.

Neither of them acknowledged the other for a while, the space between them cultivating a strange feeling of camaraderie among deserters. He shivered and Lily felt for him. January 1st was not a good day to go without a sweater. The snow from earlier was coming down heavy and they were both covered in layers of frost. 

Out of the blue, he glanced at her and asked “Is that any good?”

She startled, not expecting him to start a conversation. “W-what?”

He blinked. “The cocoa.”

She peered down at the drink in her possession and smiled. “Oh...yeah, it’s delicious.”

“Lemme try.” He snatched the foam cup from her hands and took a long swig of her hot chocolate. She could only stare in disbelief as he finished off all of it within seconds and aimed the cup into the bus stop’s trash can with perfect precision. Then he smiled at her and let out a short burp, satisfied. “It _was_ good.” 

She sputtered and thumped him on the arm. “Hey, no! That was mine! You can’t just--”

He smothered her protests, placing a glove over her mouth, wearing a mildly amused expression. “Pipe down, Goldilocks, you’ll wake up all the midnight freakshows. If you want another one so badly, I’ll buy it for you.”

So she ended up waiting next to Jimmy Bae in the 7/11 as he fumbled with the hot cocoa machine with minimal success and maximum rage. He ended up kicking (and breaking) the machine out of frustration and buying her a bag of crisps as replacement restitution. He shoved the lime-flavored chips into her hands and their fingers briefly made contact. 

“Eat it or whatever. I don’t care.”

He wasn’t meeting her eyes, but Lily did detect a faint blush. Or maybe it was just the alcohol from the party.

Either way, it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant feeling, receiving something from him. Maybe she didn’t regret going to the party after all.

The second and last time she drank alcohol was on her third-anniversary date with Jimmy. It was their freshman year of college and they had turned the legal age, not that that ever stopped the ever-rebellious Jimmy Bae. But it did give him the opportunity to treat her to a glass of au couture wine. She didn’t exactly know how he afforded it, but she had learned it was best not ask how Jimmy earned his money.

The wine was delicious. Nothing like the onion throat burn of the dollar-store canned vodka. In her best words, it was “velvet and elegance as a substance.”

Jimmy had given her a look before smiling and shaking his head. “That’s my nerdy art-major girlfriend.” He asked the waiter to pour Lily another glass. Somehow, it tasted even better the second time.

Lily thought she would become an alcohol connoisseur after that. But she wanted to keep the memory of her date with Jimmy sacred, and thus abstained from alcohol. She reckoned the next time she’d drink it was when Jimmy tried to put a ring on it and that would be a long time away if she had anything to say about it. Her art career before anything serious with her maybe-criminal most-definitely charming boyfriend. However, it didn’t hurt to see a glass of wine and remember Jimmy going out of his way to make her feel special. Julia, who had attended their same college, loved bringing up that date because she knew how it coerced Lily into smiling up to her ears. 

However, that night, Lily was in a bar, ordering a giant bottle of aged Scotch. Jimmy had not proposed. 

In fact, she and Jimmy had broken up just that morning.

Call it fate. But coming into Jimmy’s dorm room to find Julia Chae draped all over her boyfriend was the last straw.

For months, she explained away Julia’s constant questions about Jimmy as her being weirdly enthusiastic about the success of their relationship. 

_Julia’s just concerned. Julia just wants to make sure we’re going strong. Julia just has a little crush on Jimmy, it’s harmless. She wouldn’t hurt my feelings that way. We’re best friends._

**_Idiot_ **. 

Lily yanked her credit card from the digital register and snatched the giant bottle of Italian Scotch from the hands of a nervous novice barista. It cost a cool forty dollars but revenge hath no fury like stress-buying alcohol. She’d cry about blowing her money later, but that wasn’t her current concern.

She sat down at a wall booth with the glass bottle, stretching her leg across the entire seat, silently daring someone to ask her if she was down for a good time. 

Lily wrenched the cap open and flung it to the side before eyeing the actual drink. Through the prism pattern of the glass container, the scotch was a gorgeous amber hue with swirls of gold and honey currents and for a moment, she forgot about her cheater boyfriend and double-crossing best friend. Even without tasting it, she could imagine the texture and rich flavor mingling together in a perfectly potent mix. Hm. Perhaps she’d reconsider her career as an alcohol connoisseur. 

Then her eyes caught on someone puking their burgers and fries across the bar and the moment was over. It was time to center back on her main goal. Using her great artistic mind and the power of bad-decisions alcohol, she’d devise a plan to expose Julia for the home-wrecker she was and maybe figure out a way to talk to Jimmy without bursting into tears. 

Lily would come out on top. No two-timing lover would get the best of her.

...but it wouldn’t hurt to hold off the scotch and just think. There were quite a few people in the vicinity and one of them had caught her eye.

Specifically a friend of the college student who couldn’t hold his rum. There were originally three of them, but the light-weight had been assisted by another to the bathroom to get his gut together and perhaps reassess his life choices. Lily knew she could relate. That left one friend alone, a short kid with ash-colored hair, who was nursing a small shot glass of...milk.

Lily blinked. 

Well, everyone had their preferences. But she had no idea bars sold dairy. 

Fascinated and somewhat alarmed, she observed him stare down at his glass before downing the whole thing in a go. Would be interesting if he didn’t look like he was fresh out of middle school. She wondered if he was even of legal drinking age, suddenly feeling the strong urge to protect him.

She didn’t know his name. But he looked like a...Sieun.

 _Sieun, it’s a cold cruel world out there when you expose your heart_ , she thought resolutely. She relocated her abandoned scotch cap and screwed it back onto the drink. _But don’t worry. Big Sister Lily will be here to kick anyone’s ass who dares try to break your heart._

The kid ran his hand through his hair and Lily noted he was abnormally pretty-looking for a guy. She part-timed at an idol agency. If the night ended with being able to walk on both legs, she might go over to him and recommend him to her company. They could do with less plastic faces. 

Big Sister Lily would keep an eye on him for as long as possible. Make him into a star. Protect him from gorgeous witches. _I should really go introduce myself_ , she mused.

The boy, now named Sieun according to her, was looking around the rest of the bar anxiously. He was in a relatively dark corner where no one would notice him unless they were trying to look for him. Lily didn’t understand what he was so nervous for. Maybe if he tried to talk to someone, he’d make a new friend.

 _No_ , she thought, shaking her head. No new friends. New friends meant new ways to be backstabbed.

Stay strong and wait for your lightweight companions to come back, she cheered internally.

Her phone buzzed and she fished it from her purse only to see it was a text from Jimmy before promptly returning it to her purse. She didn’t know if Jimmy had gotten the memo yet, but they were over. Finished. Nonrefundable.

She stiffened her upper lip and willed herself not to start crying at the booth. It might attract some loser who'd try to comfort her. Lily didn’t need comforting. She needed vengeance as black as night and cold as the sub-antarctic. 

Julia would pay.

Julia would regret it.

Julia was in the bar. 

Lily’s eyes widened as Julia made a grand entrance into the bar, attracting appreciative stares and more than a few whistles. She could practically hear them formulating pick-up lines and date requests. Disgusting. Lily scrambled to find a place to hide. It wouldn’t be entirely odd if she ducked under the table and pretended it was a fort, right? Plenty of crazier things happened at bars, if the movies were right. 

Still contemplating how she’s fit all 5’9 of herself under the table, she realized Julia hadn’t seen her. She hadn’t so much as looked in her direction. 

Lily clenched her teeth. She supposed it was a bit selfish to think Julia Chae would make the effort of coming down to the university bar at 9 just to confront her. Instead, she watched Julia sashay her way through the people, gathering stares left and right. Lily wrinkled her nose. She had to admit her ex-best friend rocked a black bodice dress and stilettos like no one else. But for whatever reason, she insisted on staying single and ready to mingle with all the guys at the parties they frequented.

Well. She knew why now.

Lily watched as Julia made her way to a dark corner of the bar, right where Sieun was. Lily squinted. Unless she knew Sieun previously, what would Julia want with him?

Her stomach dropped when Julia sidled up next to Sieun and began to flirt with him. It wasn’t even subtle. 

See, Lily didn’t have much experience with wooing people. She had dated Jimmy Bae for most of her young adult life, and therefore had no real need to learn the art of seduction. But she had witnessed Julia in her element before. Her friend had morphed from a crazed middle schooler who couldn’t hold her alcohol to a real player. Lily remained the gangly artsy type while Julia just...blossomed into a real woman, so to speak.

Lily almost snorted to herself. If real woman meant dragging her to midnight excursions at dorms, drinking to the verge of upending her liver, and having Lily (who spent the night texting Jimmy and sipping on water) drive her home in an unfairly attractive drunken mess...then yes, Julia Chae was a woman. 

So seeing Julia flirt wasn’t new to her at all. But why did it give Lily an ominous feeling seeing her approach Sieun? 

Julia said something to him, no doubt a pretty line like “If being sexy was a crime, you’d be guilty as charged.” Cheesy, but Julia had the uncanny ability of making anything that came out of her mouth sounds convincing.

However, Sieun said something and his eyes searched the room in a clear bid to get away. Lily internally cheered. _Attaboy, Sieun, a leather dress and fishnet stockings aren’t enough to sway you._

But then Julia grabbed him by the wrist, not letting him find an escape route. Sieun visibly seized up, unsure what to do. 

Lily wondered if she should intervene. It shouldn’t have been unexpected to be hit on in a vicinity full of young, eligible people, but Sieun looked a little wet behind the ears. He hadn’t come by himself, but his friends were nowhere to be seen. Nobody could get him out of the situation he was in. And Lily didn’t think he’d want to be embarrassed being saved by a concerned stranger.

Still. Something in her chest tightened seeing Julia grasp his wrist like she was handcuffing herself to him.

Sieun said something to her, not meeting her eyes. Julia threw back her head in raucous laughter that even Lily could hear from her spot. Julia had a mean laugh, rough around the edges. It felt like having a prickly broom swept around her ear. Of course, Lily never told her this and continued to let Julia believe this was an attractive feature. Sieun’s grimace said otherwise. 

He attempted to remove her hold on his wrist, but Julia held on, stepping a bit closer into his space. Lily also recognized this strategy, which typically resulted in the guy relenting and letting Julia work her so-called magic on him. When it didn’t work, Julia would complain to Lily later that evening, sobbing into what had to be her fifth fling’s sweatshirt. There was a collection in the passenger seat of Lily’s car. Each time, Lily briefly considered opening a clothing charity. She would call it “The Spring Fling”. 

Sieun, however, also appeared to be immune to that tactic. He said something and Julia brought her hand to her mouth in a show of shock. Lily was desperate to know what he had said. She could use some pointers to tell off Julia for being a thief, a traitor, and a stone-cold airhead, _after_ she downed the entire bottle of scotch and gained inhuman confidence.

The two conversed for a minute, Julia coming closer and Sieun being backed further and further into a corner. His friends still hadn’t come back. _What was taking them so long?_

He and Julia were in a particularly dark spot of the bar, hidden behind a column near the back door. No one, at this point, would be able to see them. Lily herself had to climb over to the next booth, accidentally knocking over a shot glass, to keep them in sight. She didn’t like what was going on. Why was Julia trying to hide him away? What was she planning? Lily’s stomach squirmed at the thought of something bad happening to Sieun. 

She had to squint hard to see Julia pressing a hand against his shoulder and slowly sliding it up his neck. Sieun cringed and tried to brush her hand away, in one last attempt to reject her approach. 

Lily didn’t know what to think. Julia was unabashed but wasn’t this going too far? Sieun didn’t look comfortable with the situation. He almost looked scared. She didn’t think he thought this was what would happen on a quick little jaunt to the bar with his buddies. His eyes were darting back and forth, trying to catch the eyes of someone in the bar. Julia saw this and blocked his body from sight completely, barring any chances of being caught.

Lily’s phone buzzed in her pocket again. She checked. It was Jimmy once more, a message in all caps. She didn’t bother checking. If he was really that desperate to explain himself, he'd have to come talk to her in person. 

She received three consecutive texts, all from him. Annoyed, she finally gave in and skimmed the latest one he sent. It read: LISTEN TO ME. 

The hairs on the back of Lily’s neck stood up.

She looked up. Julia's hands were clutching the corner of Sieun’s shirt. He was squirming and trying to push back, but it didn’t help. Julia pinned him against the wall, ignored his panicked protests, and forced her lips against his.

And suddenly, all Lily saw was red.

How _dare_ she.

Her hand hooked around the neck of her scotch bottle and her legs were carrying her across the bar in long angry strides. Her body was on autopilot and her rage amplified by every step. She reached their spot and she watched the hand holding the scotch bottle rear back, preparing to Jackie Robinson the back of Julia’s head..

Out of the corner of her eye, someone yanked Sieun out of harm’s way and seeing the paralyzing shock on his face was the final straw.

Lily didn’t usually drink. Instead of boozing away her problems, she liked to play tackle with Jimmy. Jimmy Bae was strong. Back in his high school delinquent days, his strength was almost mythos. One swing and the opponent would out for the count. Jimmy Bae was strong, alright.

But Lily was stronger. 

So when the 3 pounds of glass and scotch hit Julia Chae on the back of her skull, it didn’t just knock her out. Glass shattered, and shards and amber liquid flew in an explosion of unthinkable pain. Blood splattered across her face. 

And Lily finally got her revenge.


	2. Hubris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> season 3 c'monnnn

Stephen Ahn didn’t really care for school functions. In fact, he didn’t seem to care for much at all. Aiming for a liberal arts degree and barely passing his classes, he tended to come off as careless and more than a little stupid. Even Teddy Jin, who very few considered the scholarly type, hauled better grades than his friend. But Teddy was also star of the university’s underdog soccer team, so he got a pass. 

Said soccer team had miraculously advanced to the state championship and it was being held at home so the turnout was huge. What would’ve been a meager maybe 50 supporters had multiplied to the thousands. For once, the bleachers were actually full and the students were cheering like their lives depended on it. This was a chance for their sorry excuse of a school to make a name for themselves. So there Stephen was with them, half-heartedly eating a hot dog while watching Teddy run circles around the opposing team and score goal after goal. There wasn’t a doubt in Stephen’s mind Teddy would sleep with the trophy that night before discarding it the next day. Ever since his “revolutionary realization objects are nothing in the grand scheme of the universe”, he had become a minimalist enthusiast and Stephen was never able to find his socks. Such was the price of letting Teddy read Sasaki.

He held up his hand to take another bite of his hotdog when he realized there was no hotdog left to be eaten. He checked and he had a few dollars left, so he had an excuse to stretch his legs and take a break from the game.

He weaved between bodies in the bleachers and walked down the steps of the stands. The concession stands were located just behind the audience, so there was quite a bit less traffic and Stephen reveled in the communal but hushed buzz of those purchasing their snacks, excited to get back to the game. 

He himself was in no rush to return, so after buying a bag of off-brand chips, he shambled over to the tennis courts, right next to the adjacent parking lot, blissfully deserted, and sat down on the seats lining the wired boundaries of the court. He had about twenty minutes before he’d have to go back and catch the last five minutes of the game. He knew Teddy would be looking for him in the audience. 

He tore the bag open and was about to dip in his hand when he heard a loud crack from his left. He glanced over and saw someone had angrily batted their tennis racket against the concrete. The person was lying with his back to the fence and the two halves of the tennis racket lying discarded in the grass. 

Curious as to why this individual was so angry (and also bored out of his mind) Stephen stood up and made his way around the court to the individual's location. He was prepared to flee if they turned out to be a psychopath, but if their dejection was anything to go by, they had expended all their wrath on the racket. Stephen made sure to make his presence known, treading loudly on the brittle grass and “accidentally” kicking the handle of the racket away. The person looked up and connected eyes with Stephen, teary-eyed and blank all at once. Like a scared cat.

Stephen had multiple revelations at that moment when their eyes met. One, he clearly didn’t get out enough because he’d never seen anyone that androgynous on campus before. Secondly, this person had just lost a bet. For a moment, he speculated about a game of poker gone wrong or a cursed racehorse before deciding this person was too responsible-looking to do that. From his experience, the tennis players weren’t typically the type to squander their money on gambling. Matching sports apparel, maybe. 

But the boy looking at him through long, wet eyelashes with a mix of apprehension and hope clearly just needed a hug.

Not that Stephen would offer one. He’d just met the guy and despite not interacting with many people, he had a pretty good grasp of social cues. 

The guy continued to stare at him and Stephen wondered if there was something on his face. He was trying to casually brush off any offending bread crumbs that might’ve hitched a ride when he remembered something that had happened just that morning. 

He was perusing the dollar store’s selection of orange juice when a girl, cute in a roundish sort of way, tapped his arm and asked for his number. Punching in a number that would send her to an open student exchange trip to Italy, it occurred to Stephen she had so boldly asked him out because she found him physically attractive.

Well.

That didn’t make any sense. 

But that didn’t matter. Stephen smiled, signaling as a friend, and slowly moved forward as if he were approaching a timid rabbit that would dash at any moment. The boy didn’t say anything in opposition, so Stephen sat down next to him, a few inches away. His knees were folded up to his chin, to reflect the boy’s crouched pose. He fished out the chips he had stowed away in the pockets of his sweater and offered them to the boy. “Want some?”

The boy didn’t respond and Stephen shrugged, redacting his offer and putting them back in his pocket. He wasn’t sure how to handle the situation from that point on. He didn’t want to get up and declare defeat, only having attempted to reach out once. The image of the boy’s doleful expression was stuck in his head.

“Why’d you break your racket?” Better to ask the straightforward and obvious question, since he was out of ideas anyways. 

He gave a cursory glance to the one next to him, who had his face buried in his arms. His arms were skinny, not especially powerful like the members’ of the university’s tennis team. He probably played recreationally. Maybe he was meeting someone and they had bailed on him. “Did someone stand you up?”

He thought he heard a muffled response. “What was that?”

The boy lifted his head and just his eyes were visible past his arm. “It’s not mine,” he mumbled.

Stephen nodded. “So you broke your friend’s racket. Hope it wasn’t too expensive.”

“She’ll be fine,” the boy said, his eyebrows lifting darkly. “I wasn’t stood up. I’m just...mad at her.”

“What’d she do?”

“Drugs.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

They sat silently, looking very hard at the greenness of the grass. Stephen wasn’t quite sure when, but the other boy started quietly snickering to himself. Stephen found himself chuckling as well before it transformed into full-blown laughter, though he didn’t think either of them knew what was so funny. He didn’t mind. He was just taken aback by how radiant the other’s smile was. Reserved but generous. It wasn’t the kind of smile he expected from him.

When they had calmed down, Stephen put out his hand. “I’m Stephen.”

The boy hesitated before gingerly shaking it. “Gray Yeon.”

“Are you a student here?” Stephen hoped he was. Gray could count towards his total friend quota, which was low even by art student standards.

“Yeah, a science major,” Gray responded. “You?”

“Liberal art major.” He internally cringed, for the first time. He didn’t usually mind automatically being labeled as dumb and/or indecisive when he told people his major, but Gray’s slight eyebrow raise hurt him a bit.

“Are you watching the homecoming game?” Gray said this as he was standing up and Stephen rushed to get up as well. 

“Yeah, my friend is the captain. He’d be pissed if I missed his big day.”

“...Teddy Jin?”

“You know him?”

Gray clenched his teeth half humorously. “Sure I do.” 

“I’m sensing a bit of hubris here.” 

The other boy shrugged. “He broke my friend’s glasses once.”

“Your stoner friend?”

Gray's face slackened. “ _No_. Lala can see just fine. I’m talking about Eugene.” 

The name didn’t ring a bell, but Stephen nodded like it did. “Well, on behalf of Teddy and his soccer ball, I apologize.”

“I’ll tell Eugene you were concerned,” Gray said, his lips quirking to the left. He looked around the court and then down at the shattered racket before giving Stephen a sheepish look. “I guess I’m gonna go now. See you around?”

Stephen didn’t think he would, seeing as the science college was on the other side of campus and he never left his dorm unless he was forced to. Still, he nodded and Gray walked away, tossing the remnants of the racket into the giant utility dumpster on the way out of the recreational park. He pretended to be nonplussed when Gray turned around and waved at him, showing off that striking smile. He casually waved back, barely keeping his grin in check. 

He reckoned he should get out more. But only if he got to meet people like Gray every time he did.

He returned to the game, just in time to see Teddy dribble the ball to victory and to have his eardrums lambasted by the sound of exhilarated sports fans. Or rather, relieved college students who had made reckless gambles on their odds. 

All of them rushed onto the field and crowded the soccer team, with Teddy front of and center of the moshpit of students lifting him in a victory lap. Even from Stephen’s position in the risers, it was hard to miss the outstretched arms of Teddy soaking in his triumph. When he spotted Stephen, he gave him the biggest, dorkiest thumbs up and Stephen gave him one right back. He did that, fully anticipating the mess he’d have to clean up when Teddy arrived at their shared dorm at 3 in the morning.

* * *

He just hadn’t anticipated how much of a mess.

“I don’t wanna dance,” Teddy whined, face first in the pillow. Teddy had stumbled in high on some evil powder lemonade, or maybe something worse. Stephen was too scared to ask. As predicted, the giant brass championship trophy was lying right next to the trash can, halfway to the dumpster in Teddy’s mind. Stephen discreetly placed it somewhere for safekeeping.

“What about homecoming?” he questioned, moving around all the breakable objects in the vicinity. “You’ll probably be voted king.”

“Who wants to be royalty?” Teddy refuted, giving Stephen giant puppy dog eyes and an unconvincing pout. “It’s too much work and all the dukes leave you to do the cleaning.”

“Not sure who’s doing all the cleaning here,” Stephen muttered under his breath.

“Take me away in a pumpkin and leave me to die at the edge of a cliff,” Teddy sobbed dramatically, draping himself over the top of the couch and reaching out like a discount Creation of Adam.

“Don’t you have a date to take to homecoming?” Stephen asked, gently aiding the blond towards his bed. “She’d be really crushed if you died before you could dance with her.”

Teddy cackled and leaped onto the bed with his cleats still on. “Lala ate all the fireworks and exploded!”

Lala? That was the name of Gray’s stoner friend. _Small world._

“Was Lala at the after-party with you?”

Teddy nodded excitedly and kicked off his cleats, nearly taking off Stephen’s head. “She was dumped by the mafia.”

“You mean the Union?”

“Nuh-uh. The _mafia_. They wanna kill her.”

Stephen pursed his lips. “Right. Why do they wanna kill her?”

Teddy fell backward, narrowly missing his head banging the headboard. “She stole all their fireworks hahahaha. New Years is canceled!”

Stephen thought he was starting to stitch together the pieces. This Lala was Gray’s friend, but it seemed she had gotten in with the wrong crowd, specifically the Union. The Union, to his knowledge, was the cover name for the student council members that distributed illegal drugs. Teddy had almost been part of them, but Stephen pulled him out and offered soccer as a better recreational activity. The “fireworks” Teddy was yelling about were probably said drugs....so Lala had stolen them? Was she in trouble with the Union? Was that why she had called Gray, to ask for his help? 

Stephen did love a good mystery. 

Teddy had passed out, safely on the bed and with an unnerving smile on his face. Stephen pulled up the covers for his roommate and patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks buddy.”

Then he got some sleep himself and prepared to crash a homecoming dance.

~!~

“You’re Teddy Jin?”

“Me? No! I’m his...uh...d--”

The dance’s attendance manager blinked. “His date?”

Stephen blinked right back. “ _No_. I’m his d- _esignated driver_.” Gosh, he was terrible at lying. But then again, that wasn’t super far from a lie. He was woefully underprepared for when it came to actually investigating what would happen at the dance. He was already being blocked by the cynical-appearing auditorium bouncer, who clearly felt he wasn’t being paid enough for this nonsense.

“You have to be registered on the list to enter the party,” he said with a sigh. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave and stop holding up the line.”

Stephen was about to admit defeat when a dark-haired girl swiftly sidled up to him and took possession of his left forearm. 

“Hayden,” she cooed. “How are you doing?”

The attendance manager, Hayden, was blushing furiously. Stephen detected what was either a massive flirt or a massive crush. Probably both.

“H-Hi Julia.”

...Both.

Julia, not detaching herself from Stephen’s arm, reached into her purse, dug out a crisp twenty-dollar bill, and slipped it under the ticket window. “Consider this our reservation ticket?”

Hayden snatched it up and hasted to unlock the door to the auditorium. “Have fun. I’ll see you later, Jules?”

Julia giggled and led Stephen to the entrance. “Call me Jules again and I’ll steal all your eyeliner next time I come over.”

“Y-yes ma’am.”

Julia threw him a wink before finally pushing open the door and letting them into the dance. 

Stephen immediately felt uncomfortable. The screeching EDM pounded and prompted earthquakes in every sector of his skeleton. There were swarms of moving bodies, clad in casual suits and tight dresses. Julia herself was wearing a slick black bodice dress of some kind, leaving little to the imagination. Strobes of light hit the walls and bounced back in a dizzying array of colors, inviting deadly seizures. There was the rank smell of cheap punch and early-onset sweat. Stephen wished he couldn’t see. Or smell.

“Never been to a dance before?” Julia asked him, her hands roaming up and down his arm. “You seem out of place.”

Stephen felt a nasty feeling crawling in his stomach at her touch. However, he didn’t remove his arm out of politeness, since she had helped him get into the dance.

Julia stepped in a bit closer, hand still grasping at his forearm. “What’s your name?” She was in alarming proximity and Stephen pretended he didn’t notice her other hand suddenly on his chest. 

“Stephen.”

“Stephen,” she repeated, her glossy pink lips curling upwards. “Do you wanna dance?”

He shook his head. “I’m trying to find someone.”

She puckered her lips in a pout, though it didn’t have the effect Stephen thought she probably wanted. “Is it a girl? Maybe I know them. I _am_ pretty popular.” She stared up at him with wide eyes and he coughed, looking away at a spot on the wall. She was unnerving but he was more desperate for information than he was intimidated.

“Her name is Lala. She knows Teddy Jin and--”

He stopped when she suddenly released her grip on his arm and took a large step away from him as if he were diseased. Her expression was frozen and plastic, a badly molded doll. What had he said? Was it Lala’s name or Teddy’s that triggered the panic on her face?

He examined her before carefully picking his words. “She was supposed to be Teddy’s date but he didn’t want to stand her up without letting her know.”

Julia’s eyes flickered back and forth, her mouth set in a strangled line. “I don’t know who either of them are.” She took another step back, accidentally bumping into another girl, who gave her a dirty look. Julia meekly apologized and scurried away as quickly as she could in her everest stilettos. 

Well, Julia definitely knew who they were. But seeing as she had just ran away, Stephen was out of leads. He roamed the outer perimeter of the crowds dancing, making sure to avoid any girls trying to pull him into the scene and making a large circle around the refreshments table. Thankfully, the music had transitioned into softer pop and helium lyrics cushioned his ears as he continued to look for something or someone he couldn’t name. 

He didn’t really expect to find Lala at the party. If she had actually stolen the drugs, it would’ve been in her best interests to find a bus out of town, far away from the Union. 

Disappointed his little mystery hadn’t panned out, Stephen checked the time. Almost 10 PM. Teddy would be awake and wondering where he’d gone. The case of how Lala, Gray, and the Union were connected would have to be classified cold for the time being.

He turned around to head towards the exit and promptly collided with someone significantly shorter than him. Stephen opened his mouth to apologize when he realized he recognized the face.

Gray.

“Hey! Liberal art major!” 

“Uh, it’s Stephen, thanks,” Stephen replied, chuckling dryly. Gray smiled at him, wildly different from the crying, frustrated kid he was talking to just earlier. He was dressed the same as the others, in a casual dress shirt and jeans. His ash white hair was slightly mussed, as if he'd just been kissing someone.

On that note, Stephen bit back a joke. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Me neither," Gray shot back, crossing his arms. "I thought you were a recluse."

"Do recluses usually approach strangers and offer them chips? Being turned down hurts, you know?"

Gray frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude about that earlier. I just really hate accepting food from strangers. You didn’t have a white van, but better safe than sorry, right?"

He snorted and the corner of Gray's eyes crinkled in amusement. 

Stephen found the whole situation rather funny. He'd come looking for a drug thief and found his friend from the tennis court instead. Not that he was complaining; Gray was the reason he was so curious in the first place.

The song in the background changed and the attendees were suddenly jumping up and down, cheering along to the beat of the song. 

Gray's eyes glittered, which completely caught Stephen off guard. He hadn’t even realized eyes could do that. Gray glanced around Stephen. "You didn't bring a date?"

"No," Stephen admitted.

"Do you want to dance?"

Julia had asked the exact same question and Stephen's instinct had told him he was being led into a trap. However, the question coming from Gray was inherently different. Gray just wanted to dance with him and there weren't any ulterior motives that Stephen could sense.

But Stephen had a question of his own: "You came alone too?"

Gray shook his head. "I came with two other friends. We're going to a bar after this and they need someone to drive."

"Ah."

"Yep. So do you want to dance?” Gray repeated, undeterred.

Stephen didn’t really know how to dance, but he wasn’t going to say no to Gray. He figured they’d join the rest of the homecoming attendees and start jumping up and down. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine they were participating in a tribal ritualistic dance to bring back dead ancestors.

How did they die?

Probably attaining concussions by getting kicked in the head by Teddy’s soccer ball.

He nodded and Gray took his hands, comfortably fitting their fingers together. 

“Are we slow dancing?” Stephen asked, baffled by Gray swinging their arms back and forth like laps in a peaceful ocean. It was a nice juxtaposition to the upbeat pop song, but Gray contained more enigmas than Stephen could comprehend. 

Gray cocked his head. "Yes, unless you'd rather be dancing along to pop." 

"I’ll follow your lead."

“Good idea.”

They swayed together, keeping a respectable but friendly distance from each other. They weren't moving in time to the songs at all and their movements existed outside of the vibe of the homecoming dance. For a moment, Stephen was immersed in Gray's atmosphere, another world far away from the homecoming dance and potential troubles with the Union. 

Stephen couldn’t figure out Gray’s color. What type of person was friends with a member of the Union? What type of person cried and smiled and snickered at will, whenever he felt? Where was his alternate personality reserved for strangers who asked too many questions, like Stephen?

Gray wasn’t looking at him as they danced. His eyes drifted and wandered, violet gaze burning through whatever it landed on. It struck Stephen that he was unorthodoxly pretty for a guy. He briefly wondered if Gray considered this a good or bad feature.

Stephen thought it was good.

“Where are the friends you came with?”

Gray redirected his gaze back to Stephen, the full force of his stare thankfully toned down. “They went out to buy me an alternate drink.”

“So it’s just us?”

“It’s just us."

"Sweet.” 

At that, Gray’s eyes did that novel thing where they glittered again and Stephen was suddenly really glad he had come to the dance. 

"So why'd _you_ come?" 

"I came looking for your stoner friend. I thought she might be here since she was Teddy's date." 

He wasn't sure what he felt when Gray fixated an intense glare at him. "You're pretty nosy."

"I was worried about both you and Teddy," Stephen argued. "If she stole from the Union, they might come after the people she knows."

Gray's expression softened. "You were worried about me?"

"I'd worry about any crying stranger at the tennis court," Stephen said, relieved Gray no longer wanted to burn lasers into his forehead. He much preferred the odd mix of astonishment and warmth bleeding into Gray’s beam. For someone who seemed so reserved, he smiled a lot. Stephen liked that.

“You care too much about things you shouldn’t,” Gray murmured. “Lala was already leaving when she called me to tell me she was dropping out.”

“ _Dropping out_?” Stephen stumbled and accidentally tripped over his own feet, pitching forward towards Gray. Gray swiftly sidestepped him and yanked him upward by the forearm before Stephen could have a pleasant chat with the auditorium floor.

It personally felt like his arm was being wrenched from the rest of his body but Stephen figured he was in no position to complain. He could see Gray was holding in a laugh, but they were in a pretty laughable position. A very discordant tango. 

They held each other’s gazes for a moment and Stephen felt like his heart may have stopped. Gray against the bright blue strobe light was stunning.

“...you are surprisingly strong.”

Gray hummed in acknowledgment, nonchalantly pulling Stephen backup and patting at his arm. “Your arm probably hurts. Put some ice on it later.”

"I will," Stephen replied, chuckling to mask the pain he was in. His head cleared as he refocused on what caused his mistake. “But were you serious about her dropping out?”

“As a heart attack,” Gray confirmed. “Lala’s an idiot, both for joining the Union then being dumb enough to steal from them.”

“Don’t you think she was probably coerced to do it?”

Gray shrugged. “Maybe. She kept it a secret until she called me about wanting to back out of the whole thing. It was too late by then, so I told she’d have to hide until the hunt for her blew over.” He sighed. “I didn’t want her to drop out though. She’s the only friend I have willing to play tennis with me.”

“I’ll play it with you,” Stephen offered, out of the blue. He did _not_ know how his mind failed to filter out that thought before it slipped out. And he also did not know how to play tennis.

The song in the background faded out and transitioned into a slow popular ballad. The lighting in the auditorium turned a moody purple and the strobe lights gently grazed the ceiling. The party-goers fished out their cellphones and flicked on their flashlights, dramatically waving along to the song. Almost no one was actually dancing, save for a few couples.

Gray continues swaying with Stephen, still out of touch with the rhythm of the music. His eyes were wandering again, straying from the ground to the light show ceiling above them. Stephen was almost about to repeat what he had said when Gray spoke.

“I see my friends.”

Ah. Stephen wished Gray had come up with a more creative way of turning down his offer.

Stephen twisted around and saw two people at the entrance of the dance. One, shorter and sharp, was holding a white plastic bag and the taller, louder one was making his way to Gray at an alarming rate. 

Gray looked back at Stephen. “So when do you want to meet up?”

Oh. _Oh._ He _hadn’t_ been rejected.

“How’s tomorrow?”

“Man of action liberal arts major, I like you,” Gray laughed, letting go of Stephen’s hands and getting out his phone. 

Man of action? Stephen thought about what Gray could mean as he entered in his contacts onto Gray's phone.

“See you later then,” Gray said, getting his phone back and waving to him as he walked to the two guys. He hesitated and suddenly turned back towards Stephen and crashed into him in a one-sided hug. The breath was knocked out of Stephen as Gray clung onto him for a brief moment. It was short-lived, as Gray stepped backward and awkwardly grinned at Stephen before retreating to his friends. 

“B-bye.” Gray definitely didn’t hear him, but it didn’t matter. Stephen was fairly sure that even if he had it wouldn’t have captured the rapid escapade of breathlessness he was suddenly going through. 

It’d been a long time since anyone made him feel like he didn’t have to take care of them or tone back on his compulsive weirdness. It had been the other way around. Gray, had literally and figuratively, swept him off his feet. 

It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling at all.

Stephen went home. It was in the middle of the eight o’clock, according to Teddy. After the fruitless but nonetheless exhilarating day he’d had, Stephen wasn’t quite ready to pick up the remote and watch TV. University nightlife was starting, and he was suddenly feeling like joining the festivities. 

He knew where to find Gray. There were at least five bars in the university but the most popular one was conveniently close to the auditorium, perfect for after-party drinks, Stephen supposed. He wouldn’t know. He didn’t want to catch whatever Teddy had.

“Did you find your soulmate?” Teddy asked from his bed, phasing in and out of sleep.

“Kiddo, what do you mean by soulmate?” Stephen replied, humoring him. 

“Like...the pickle to your chicken sandwich,” Teddy said, a sleep-addled smile growing on his face. 

Stephen paused, his jacket halfway on. “...I met someone named Julia.”

Teddy’s rolled over. “Julia...she’s...”

Stephen tensed, though he wasn’t sure why. “She’s?”

Teddy frowned in his sleep. “She’s a rotten grinch pickle.” And right afterward “I love Christmas!”

“Right, not my soulmate,” Stephen said under his breath, incredulous at his own sigh of relief. Julia knew Lala, so Julia was definitely somehow connected to the Union. If Lala was on the run, why wasn’t Julia also on the run? She’d seemed so spooked when he’d mentioned Lala’s name. 

_Partners in crime?_ he speculated.

Nah. More like Julia had used Lala as a scapegoat for the drugs. He had no idea what Julia would want with drugs, but the fact she was out and about, and not hiding from the Union, while Lala was, struck Stephen as odd. 

It all itched his brain. What he could piece together was: Lala made some bad choices and was on the run from the Union, Julia did not want to be associated with Lala, and Gray was a bit sensitive about losing his tennis partner. 

Gray. Stephen smiled and put on his jacket. The weather forecast has said there was a chance of a light flurry. 

The mystery was interesting, but Gray even more so. Stephen really couldn’t consider himself a social butterfly, but if he could intercept Gray, maybe he’d get to meet his friends and...he didn’t know...make some kind of connection with him.

That made even less sense than someone asking out because he had a decent face. 

He bid Teddy goodnight and headed out. Freezing wind blew harshly against his skin. He pulled up his collar and sauntered down the dorm street, avoiding dark corners and straying near the lights of the campus. His mind was perfectly sharp, and he didn’t miss how his face was forming an unconscious smile. 

He stopped a few feet short of the entrance of the popular bar students frequented. It was a sleek, cozy-type place that was dark on the outside but looked inviting through the windows. Warm. Stephen’s kind of vibe.

Though he didn’t drink.

He went inside.

Gray hair, purple eyes, pale skin, biting sarcasm. _Where could he possibly be_? Gray hadn’t dressed warmly last Stephen had seen him, so he could use the excuse of bringing him a few scarves because he wouldn’t want Gray to catch a cold before they could play tennis together. 

He stood, because there was no place to sit. It appeared that everyone had the same post-prom idea that Gray’s friends had. 

Stephen's hand slipped deep inside his pocket. There wasn’t a single thing in his pocket but it made him feel like he was creating his own safe space within himself. A handy coping mechanism for crushing loneliness.

It’d never occurred to him before that precise moment he was lonely.

Well, they did say genius needed an audience. Stephen concurred genius was a curse but no more of a curse than Teddy’s minimalistic streak. He was so tired of not being able to find his stuff.

“You here alone?” A deep but undoubtedly female voice was near his ear and Stephen looked down to make sure he wasn’t wearing something that suggested he was interested in getting a girlfriend. It was just his coat and a backpack.

“I’m meeting someone here,” he apologized, and thankfully, unlike Julia, this woman didn’t pursue him any further. He checked his nonexistent watch to hide his relief and continued his search.

A flash of blonde white hair caught his eye. An extremely pretty girl in a red pantsuit had climbed over a booth with long clambering legs and Stephen couldn’t tell if she was drunk or on a mission. Intrigued, he followed her line of vision. 

He tried to see what she was, but there were several pillars blocking the view of the back of the room and he had to maneuver between tables, nearly knocking over a shot glass of...banana milk?... in his bet to get a look at what the girl was trying to see. 

“Scuse’ me,” a bar waiter grunted, Stephen accidentally bumping into him.

“Sorry, I need to..” He trailed off as he finally gained sight of what the girl had been looking at.

Gray was kissing someone. 

A splinter hurtled through Stephen’s heart.

He swallowed dryly. It was a very physical sort of pain he was feeling. It felt like his pockets had turned into an abyss and he was a sudden and freakshow free fall. He’d vanish and nothing would be left of him in the bar except his coat.

_What are you doing?_

His legs were moving towards Gray and whoever the tall, black bodiced woman that was kissing him.

I don’t know! But doesn’t it look odd?  
  
Gray wasn’t kissing her back. His hands were frozen at his sides and his eyes were wide open with terror. Stephen suddenly recognized the hand with claw-like black liqueur nails holding him hostage. It was Julia.

That couldn’t possibly be good.

Stephen moved instinctually. He sidestepped a woman approaching him and ducked under someone holding a tray of pub beer glasses. His legs swept over booths, narrowly missing patron’s heads and sloshing their drinks. Two steps away from Julia, his hand reached out and pried her fingers away from Gray’s neck and face. Julia’s eye swept over him, a deeper, more violent shade of violet than Gray’s had been. 

He would’ve loved to stop and chat but the blonde girl was in his peripheral vision and from the looks of it, she was out of patience. He yanked Gray away from Julia just as the girl, with a deranged look scrawled across her face, swung back a giant glass bottle of scotch and slammed Julia in the back of the head. 

Stephen shielded Gray from the shattered glass and splatters of blood from the assault, turning his back to it. Gray said nothing, still in shock. 

“Lily!” Stephen glanced towards the entrance to see a guy, orange hair and blue eyes, barreling towards her. He stopped when he noticed Julia on the floor, blood slowly leaking from her head. He shoved his hand into his face and groaned. “Oh god, what’ve you done.”

Lily sniffed indignantly. “Jimmy.”

The manager in charge of the bar was suddenly blaring at all of them to get out, likely not wanting to deal with any legal repercussions or hospital bills involved with letting these insane kids into his establishment. 

Stephen dared to peek and saw the girl with the bottle, Lily, bowing down in apology before yelling at Julia, who looked out cold on the floor and unaware of the outside world.

"How could you do that to him? I can hardly understand lying to me, but how could you even _think_ about hurting that boy?"

At the mention of "that boy", Stephen returned his attention to the one he was hiding away from all the noise. Gray was shaking and his hands were clenched onto Stephen's windbreaker. He heard Gray sniff and without asking any questions, he pulled Gray in for a hug. 

Even though he knew Gray hadn’t been the one to initiate any of it, it still felt like a black rod had been pushed through his chest and it twisted his gut when he felt Gray trembling against him. He patted the back of Gray’s head, not sure what to say or reassure him this would never happen again. 

“Oy, calm down,” the orange-haired guy said, grabbing Lily from the back and dragging her away from Julia. She wriggled under his hold, though she wasn’t really making an effort to get away from him. Jimmy rolled his eyes and handed her some napkins he’d slid off a table. “Here.”

She briefly stopped struggling. “What’s this for?”

“You got a little...on your face.” Jimmy gestured at his own face.

Stephen held back a laugh as realization hit her and she scrubbed off blood that didn’t belong to her, nose wrinkled in disgust. Her gaze ran over Stephen and Gray, still huddled in his arms.

“Sieun,” she bawled, tears sprouting in her eyes and running down her cheeks faster than Stephen thought was possible for a human. “I’m sorry I let her hurt you. I wasn’t a good sister.” Stephen was speechless and the guy with orange hair cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leading her towards the exit. Stephen followed suit, and the bar manager motioned at one of the workers to carry Julia out as well. They were not wanted.

As soon as they stepped outside, a freezing gust of wind nearly knocked them over. It was fully dark outside, but the streets were mostly abandoned. It seemed most people had decided it was too cold to party. Luckily, the campus bus would still be in service around that time. 

Stephen led Gray to sit at the bus stop seat a few yards away from the bar entrance. Gray hadn’t worn a jacket. The temperature was even colder than when he’d left the dorm. He shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around Gray. His teeth instantly started chattering and goosebumps rose in uniform rows across his skin. But Gray had visibly stopped shivering so it was worth it. Stephen reached into the backpack for the scarf he’d brought and was about to sling it around Gray's neck when Gray’s voice stopped him.

“Don’t be a dumbass.”

He glanced down. Gray was looking up at him. He’d stopped crying although the corners of his eyes were still rimmed a little red. His face was slightly puffy, but he still looked really...pretty. That was the only word Stephen could think of, as it were.

He chuckled. “How, exactly, am I the dumbass here?” 

Gray’s nose wrinkled. “How’d you even find me?”

“Are you mad I did?”

Gray’s face fell. “No.” He reached his hand up and rubbed at his mouth, as if he could erase what Julia had done. It was a frantic movement and when he noticed Julia, who had been set down next to Stephen on the bus seat, he squeezed his eyes shut and leaned into Stephen’s chest as if to hide from her.

“It wasn’t your fault Gray,” Stephen sighed, patting him on the head. “You...you didn’t ask for it and if I could have come just a little earlier, I swear I would’ve. I’m sorry.”

Gray shook his head, not looking at him. “You don’t have to apologize. You weren’t the one who...you don’t have to say sorry, Stephen.”

“I don’t know what else to say.”

He leaned in closer to Stephen so that the jacket would overlap with Stephen’s arms. Their hands brushed against each other and Gray sighed deeply. “Don’t say anything. Just stay here.” 

Gray’s voice still wavered. Stephen swallowed his own tears and wrapped one more scarf around Gray. “I’m sorry.”

“You never listen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case Gray seemed out of character, in this story, he found a light in his other friends and became far more sociable than he is in the current story. Thanks for reading and I appreciate all comments :D

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this as soon as the final episode of season 1 dropped. I'm dying here.


End file.
